Running With "Strangers" In Davenport.

Ready to run!

Cheryl gives them a Bag

Yesterday, we met a couple of weird.)  We found out that they live in Michigan and decided to get to know them a bit.  Come to find out,  we had so much in common with these people, that they almost seemed like Family!  Cheryl took a particular "like" to them.    She gave them a cloth sack she designed and asked them to join us on one of our training runs in Davenport.
strangers.  ( by "strange"  I mean

Zoom!

Hey!  Wait up!

Catch me if you can!

I'm not waitin'

We made plans to rent bikes from the Visitor Center next to the river.  There were many moments where I thought it would rain, but the weather held out.  I'm not sure why Cheryl was so fond of them, but she decided to treat them as if they were related.   So she tore off in the usual manner, leaving the rest of us to catch up.

Blue Heron. 

Geese, pelicans, black birds.

Along the way, we saw some wildlife.   Lots of birds.  We watched as one of the Pelicans caught a HUGE fish, but ended up losing it because he could not handle it with that huge bill of his.  It was cute as another pelican came over ( probably to steal the fish) and they both took turns looking under the water as if the fish would swim back up to them.

Trying to catch up.

Motley group of fishermen.

I thought at one point  Cheryl would slow down for us,  but I was mistaken.   She left us in the dust!   You can see how we struggled to keep up.  I have to admit,  the bikes took a little getting used to.  But overall,  I think they performed admirably.

Cheryl in the distance.  

Here comes the train.

After about an hour,  we met back up in the parking lot of the Visitor Center and decided to take a chance on a new Restaurant Cheryl discovered.   They were game, so we traveled to Muscatine.

Look at all that Graffiti!

Time for Tee's!  Icecream and burgers.

Enter: Tee's Ice Cream and Burgers!

"Old School"....               menu's, that is.

Discussing how to open ketchup.

A snap shot of a place time forgot;   this place looked like the set from a 1960's Hollywood Movie.  After checking out the menu boards,   I chose a Cheese Burger with Onion Rings.  ( The "All American" food!) And Cheryl chose Fries.   ( "French").   We chatted  with the people from Michigan and got to know them better.

Burger and O-Rings.  My Fav!

Cheryl eats a fry.

Over all, they were very nice!   They even payed for our lunch and bought us a Banana Split.   Cheryl dug in immediately.  Those Marathon Runner's are so Voracious with food!

Later,  be drove back home.  They were feeling tired after all that bike riding so they did not stay for very long.   I guess after racing against Cheryl, anyone would get tired.   Even I was feeling exhausted!

Cheryl digs into the Banana Split!  Mmmm  Good!

So it turned out to be a nice day after all.  We rode Bikes; Ate food;  talked about  being Jailed for unpaid Chicago Tolls, and Funerals.  Somehow, by the end, the people seemed less strange or weird  and more familiar and normal.  I guess that is the whole point of visiting.   Especially if you actually are family.
( Cheryl had to remind me who they were, and how we were related.   My memory must be slipping.)  It was a great time and we made arrangements  that I would be able to be the speaker at their funerals.  It will be GREAT and I'm very excited to have the honor/opportunity.  I have been working on these jokes for a very long time.   If I can make one person in the audience laugh,  then I think I will have been able to do the job they expect of me.